NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his approval on Tuesday for Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership and encouraged Hungary to follow suit.
In a statement, Stoltenberg welcomed the decision by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and emphasized the importance of Hungary completing its national ratification without delay.
NATO-member Turkey had been delaying Sweden’s membership for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as security threats. It sought concessions from Stockholm, including moves to counter militants.
Turkey expressed its displeasure over a series of demonstrations in Sweden led by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Quran-burning protests that stirred tensions in Muslim countries.
Fuat Oktay, a senior legislator in President Erdogan’s governing party and the head of the foreign affairs committee, informed parliament that Sweden had been a “center in Europe” for the PKK in the past.
Since then, Sweden has made significant changes to its anti-terrorism laws, clamped down on the PKK’s financial activities, convicted a terrorism suspect, extradited another, and removed restrictions on arms sales to Turkey, according to Fuat Oktay, a senior legislator in President Erdogan’s governing party and the head of the foreign affairs committee.
Oktay highlighted that the PKK-affiliated groups no longer had the freedom of movement they once enjoyed in Sweden. This shift in circumstances has led the ruling party to support Stockholm’s NATO membership bid.
In addition to expressing support for Sweden’s NATO membership, Sweden has committed to enhanced cooperation with Turkey on counterterrorism efforts. The Scandinavian nation also voiced support for Turkey’s aspirations to rekindle its EU membership bid.
During the legislative process, Turkey’s main opposition party backed Sweden’s NATO membership. However, a center-right party and the pro-Kurdish party in the country were among those opposing it.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration did not officially link the sale of F-16s to Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership. Nevertheless, several influential members of Congress had expressed their reluctance to support the sale unless Turkey endorsed Sweden’s accession to the alliance.
While U.S. administration officials have not explicitly connected the two issues, they anticipate prompt progress on the F-16 sale following Sweden’s ratification. Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, emphasized that Sweden’s NATO accession has been a priority for President Biden, stating that Sweden is a robust defense partner, and its inclusion in NATO is in the national security interests of the United States, enhancing the safety and strength of the Alliance.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both Sweden and Finland departed from their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO’s security umbrella. Finland officially joined NATO in April, becoming the 31st member, following the ratification of its bid by Turkey’s parliament.
